Buzz over Kezo name for police chief’s post

- State Security Commission to suggest probable candidates for shortlist

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Shillong, Sept. 21: The Meghalaya government is contemplating appointing incumbent Nagaland director-general (prisons) Besesayo Kezo as the new director-general of the state police, as a successor to N. Ramachandran, the chief of Meghalaya police, who is due to retire on October 31.

Ramachandran was appointed the director-general of police on September 27 last year following the retirement of S.B. Kakati.

The State Security Commission, under the chairmanship of chief minister Mukul Sangma, will shortlist the names of the probable candidates who are eligible to succeed Ramachandran.

After the commission empanels the names, the same would be sent to the government for consideration.

Kezo, who had served as additional director-general of police in the state, belongs to the 1978 IPS batch of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre.

Earlier this year, he moved to Nagaland to take over as director-general (prisons).

“The state government is contemplating appointing Kezo as the next director-general of police,” a state government official said.

Earlier, the government was keen on selecting either Peter James Pyngrope Hanneman (1979 batch), currently on central deputation, or state’s additional director-general of police in-charge of law and order Rajiv Mehta (1981 batch).

Hanneman is the brother of Assembly Speaker Charles D. Pyngrope.

However, in view of the upcoming Assembly elections, and since Pyngrope and his son will be in the electoral fray, the Election Commission is most likely to disallow the appointment of Hanneman as police chief.

Mehta, on the other hand, was recently appointed as chief of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

Last year, it took substantial time for the government to ultimately pick Kakati’s successor.

While Kakati retired in January 2011, Ramachandran took over as the full-fledged director-general of police only in September.

Until Ramachandran, who belongs to the 1978 IPS batch of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, had assumed office, Prem Singh had served as the interim director-general of police.